JnU reluctant to recover halls

Although 11 years have passed since Jagannath College was turned into a university, the authorities have miserably failed to recover most of its dormitories occupied by influential quarters for decades, students allege. The university once had 11 dormitories and a ground but only one of them – Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall – is now usable where only 25-30 students stay, despite having risk of collapse. The situation of female students is worse. So far, the university authorities have established control over Habibur Rahman Hall, Bani Bhaban and Dhupkhola ground. The scope of recovering the other halls from grabbers is slim. Currently, there are over 23,000 students at the university. Students have been staging demonstrations since August 2 demanding quick solution to their accommodation crisis. They also demand the prime minister's intervention so that the vacated land of the Dhaka Central Jail is given to the university. The students staying at Nazrul Islam Hall said that they had been living there for the last one year but the authorities deny taking any responsibilities. It is the students who pay the utility bills. A resident of the hall and leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League Himelur Rahman Himel said: “I have been living in this dilapidated building since last year after the university authorities took lease of the hall for one year. But they did not reconstruct the building. “The administration also did not take any step to renew the lease although it expired six months ago. About 500 students can stay in the hall if the authorities construct a multi-storey building here.” An eight-member committee headed by Dhaka 6 lawmaker Kazi Firoz Rashid was formed in 2014 in the face of demonstrations by the students to get back the dormitories. But it did not work out. Registrar Md Ohiduzzaman said that they had four halls under their control. “But we could not make halls since the land is small. Some students are now staying in Nazrul Islam Hall but we did not permit them to do so since it is a dilapidated building,” he said. “We have no proper documents of all the 12 halls. The students used to live in the halls when it was a college,” he added. Most of the halls were grabbed in 1987-88, sources said.Grabbing spreeNazrul Islam Hall built on 1 bigha land on Tipu Sultan Road of Gopibagh Boshak Lane was first occupied by a Jatiya Party leader named Golam Nabi. Later the monitoring committee recovered it. Of the dormitories still occupied, a portion of Tibbet Hall in Patuatuli area was grabbed by independent lawmaker Hazi Selim in 2000 and he built a shopping complex after his wife’s name. Another part of the hall is grabbed by the Kotwali police station. Saheed Sahabuddin Hall on Radhikmohon Boshak Lane in Tantibazar area was leased to one Farhan, according to an official letter issued on January 21, 2010 from the Dhaka district administration. It was first grabbed by Ansar members in 1985 and left abandoned in 1991. Later, some police families used it as their dwelling. Finally in 2009, Awami League leader Aminul Haque Biplab raised a five-storey building on its land. At least 17 police officials have been living in Abdur Rahman Hall on AC Roy Road of Armanitola along with their families since 1990. The university authorities submitted a letter to the Land Ministry to get back the hall as lease on February 1, 2010, but to no avail. Situated on Sharatchandra Chakrabarty Road in Armanitola area, Shaheed Anwar Shafiq Hall has been under the occupation of local Awami League leader Moktar Ali who built a storehouse and some drug stores in one portion of the dormitory and rented them out. The Babubazar Branch of National Credit and Commerce Bank is housed in the other part of the dormitory. On the other hand, some influential people have set up rickshaw garage, storehouse and shops in Saidur Rahman and Rouf Majumder halls on Jadunath Boshak Lane. Although the university authorities appealed to the Land Ministry for the reclamation of the hall some years back, they did not get any response. A part of Shaheed Azmal Hall on Ramakanti Nandi Lane at Patuatuli is occupied by the family of a martyred freedom fighter while the other part is used by some influential locals in name of a cooperative society. Bazlur Rahman Hall at Malitola was given to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman High School. The university's staff quarter at Patuatuli was also grabbed by an Awami League leader Mohammad Obaidullah, who raised a seven-storey shopping complex there. The only female hall of the university was supposed to be set up on Johnson Road, but ward 37 Awami League General Secretary Abdur Rahman Niazi built his office there. Asked about it, he claimed that the office had been allotted to him from the city unit of the Awami League. When contacted, Gazi Abu Sayed, former general secretary of JnU unit Chhatra League, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Home Ministry in 1988 in an order had asked all students to vacate their dormitories. After that, the policemen found their accommodation in those halls. Although the police left some dormitories in 1990, some influential residents occupied the dormitories using political links, he said, adding that some of them had forged documents to legitimise the illegal occupation.VC is hopefulVice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman said: “We are trying to solve the accommodation crises of the students. We have bought land in Keraniganj for constructing halls and academic buildings. “Besides, I have sent letters to the government several times to acquire permanent ownership of the vacant land of Dhaka Central Jail but we did not get any answer.” He mentioned that they were constructing a 20-storey dormitory for the female students in Banglabazar area. It is expected to be completed by 2018. The university authorities have been working to extend the seven-storey academic building to a 16-storey one. Its construction was earlier obstructed by some local politicians. “If we are given the land of the Dhaka Central Jail, the university will build four halls after the name of four national leaders who were assassinated inside the jail in 1975, and build a museum there,” the VC said.